Commissioners approve assessment and reimbursement agreement for Tierra del Este phase 2; splash pad, roads and annex funding included

El Paso County Commissioners on Monday approved an order to levy an annual assessment and a companion reimbursement agreement for phase 2 of the Tierra del Este 3 public improvement district (PID), a development on the county’s eastern Montana corridor.

The court adopted a service-and-assessment plan that will assess $525 per lot per year against 998 residential lots in phase 2, creating an expected annual assessment revenue of $523,950. The county also approved a reimbursement agreement that allows the developer to be repaid for authorized capital improvements over a 20‑year term.

Why it matters: The PID is structured as a reimbursement model in which the developer fronts the capital costs for roads, a proposed county annex warm shell and park amenities and the PID repays the developer from the annual assessments. Commissioners said the measures enable critical infrastructure—road extensions and public amenities—in an unincorporated area that the county and the city anticipate will grow.

What the court approved: Strategic Capital Development presented the plan and numbers during a public hearing required under Texas Local Government Code §372.009. County staff and financial advisors reviewed the schedule and recommended approval. - Assessment order: $525 annual installment per lot on 998 lots for phase 2; projected 20‑year total debt service about $10,479,000 (roughly $6,000,000 principal, $4,200,000 interest and roughly $300,000 administrative fees). - Reimbursement agreement: The county will reimburse Ranchos Real Land Holdings LLC from levied assessments as funds become available under the plan; the PID will not issue county-backed debt.

Details and community questions: Presenters said the full PID is projected to hold about 3,500 lots across multiple future phases (a downward revision from an earlier 4,000‑lot estimate). Improvements identified in the PID include about $12 million for roadway work, about $5 million for a warm‑shell county annex site and about $6 million for parks and recreational facilities, including a splash pad.

Commissioner Jackie Butler and others asked when specific elements—Maker Road extension to Montana and the splash pad—would be built and how maintenance would be handled. Developer representatives said right‑of‑way negotiations are ongoing for the Maker extension and that some subdivision work is underway; the splash pad can be built when court and developer agree but may require short‑term dust and maintenance measures until surrounding construction reduces windblown dust.

Maintenance and finances: The plan currently incorporates a modest maintenance fee ($25 per final lot) for the earliest phases because those phases mainly cover new road construction; county staff said maintenance fees and staffing needs for the annex and splash pad will require later discussion as the project advances. The county’s financial advisor, Stifel, reviewed the amortization schedule and agreed the structure is feasible under the assumptions presented.

Votes and next steps: The court approved the assessment order (motion by County Judge Ricardo Samaniego, second by Commissioner Eliana Olguin) and the developer reimbursement agreement (motion by Judge Samaniego, second by Commissioner O'Guin). Staff will record the final assessment order and the reimbursement agreement upon final clearance by county bond counsel and the county attorney’s office.

What the county did not do: The court did not annex the area or shift park maintenance responsibility to the county; presenters said parks would follow city of El Paso standards because the development lies in the city’s extraterritorial jurisdiction and eventual annexation path.

Public notice: County staff said they provided the statutorily required notices, held the public hearing and posted the service and assessment plan and other backup materials online before the vote.